Box spring assembly



Nov. 22, 1966 w. v. SLOMINSKI BOX SPRING ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1965 ATORNEYS Nov. 22, 1966 w. v. SLOMINSKI BOX SPRING ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 24, 1965 3a Fig/ 3,286,281 BOX SPRING ASSEMBLY Walter V.Slominski, Lexington, Ky., assignor to Hoover Ball and Bearing Company, Saline, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Feb. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 435,000 14 Claims. (Cl. -247) This invention relates generally to spring assemblies and more particularly to an improved wire spring assembly especially adapted for manufacturing box springs of the type normally used on' beds.

The conventional box spring assembly consists of a wooden frame on which a plurality of coil springs and border wires are mounted and a fabric cover and pad is positioned over the springs and the border wires and attached to the frame. The usual box spring is heavy, because of the amount of wire used in the spring as 'sembly, and is therefore somewhat difiicult to handle.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an improved wire spring assembly for box springs which includes a reduced amount of wire, consists of a relatively small number of parts compared to the number of parts previously required, consists of a minimum number of different parts, utilizes internal support springs following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the box spring assembly of this invention with a portion broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view of the box spring assembly of this invention as seen from substantially the line 2-2 in FIG.1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of one end portion of a main spring in the spring assembly of this invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end portion of an internal support spring in the spring assembly of this invention.

With reference to the drawing, the spring assembly of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in FIG. 1 as included a rectangular support frame 12, illustrated as being constructed of wood but which can also be formed of metal or the like, a plurality of main springs 14 which will hereinafter be referred to as long main springs because they extend lengthwise of the frame 12, and a plurality of main springs 16 which will hereinafter be referred to as short main springs, because they extend across the width of the frame 12 and are thus of a shorter length than the main springs 14. Any number of long main springs 14 can be utilized, depending on the desired size of the spring assembly 10, six springs 14 being shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention. Similarly, the number of short springs 16 and the length thereof depends on the size of the spring assembly 10, there being eight springs 16 in the illustrated embodiment of the invention. The main springs 14 and 16 are identical in all respects other than length. The spring assembly also includes a pair of end springs 18 which are parallel to the short main springs 16 and which form the end border wires for the spring assembly 10. Side border wires 20 are secured by clips 22 to the ends of the short main springs 16 and by clips 24 to the ends and United States Patent 0 3,288,281 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 sides of the end springs 18. The spring assembly 10 also includes a plurality of intermediate support springs 26, there being twelve springs 26 in the illustrated embodiment of the invention. Each intermediate support spring 26 is secured by clips 28 to adjacent long main springs 14 and by clips 30 to adjacent short main springs 16. The intermediate support springs 26 thus function as tie wires to connect adjacent main springs.

Since the long main springs 14 and short main springs 16 differ only as to their length, only a short main spring 16 will be described in detail hereinafter, with like numerals being applied to the springs 14 and 16 to indicate like parts. The main spring 16 is formed of what is known in the spring art as formed wire, namely, wire which has supporting portions, torsion bars which are stressed in torsion, and spacer bars which connect the torsion bars and usually extend at substantially right angles with respect to the torsion bars. As shown in FIG. 2, a main spring 16 includes an elongated load engaging or body portion 32, which in the preferred embodiment of the invention is a substantially straight section of wire having ends 34. Each body portion 32 is preferably formed adjacent its ends with upwardly and outwardly slightly inclined kick-up sections 32a to provide the top surface of the assembly 10 with a central recess in which the mattress is cradled. In other words, the kickup sections 32a eliminate the usual crown found in conventional box spring assemblies and act as border confiners to keep a mattress from shifting on the assembly 10. A main spring 16 is formed so that it has end portions 36 which are integral with and extend downwardly from the ends 34 of the horizontal body portion 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the end portions 36 extend in directions generally normal to the body portion 32 since they extend toward the frame 12, discounting the irregular shape of the end portions 36. v i

The end portions 36 of a spring 16 are practically identical differing only in that they are right and left hand versions of the same construction, as is apparent from FIG. 1. Each end portion 36 includes a section 38 which is substantially V-shape when viewed horizontally (FIG. 2) and is sometimes referred to in the spring art as a fishmouth section. The fishmouth section 38 includes a torsion bar 40 (FIG. 3), which is at the apex of the V and is therefore referred to hereinafter as the apex torsion bar, and a pair of spacer bars 42 and 44 which extend in opposite directions from opposite ends of the torsion bar 40 so as to form the legs of the V. As shown in FIG. 2, the V-leg spacer bars 42 and 44 are arranged so that when there is no load on the spring assembly 10,

the acute included angle A between the legs 42 and 44 faces the outer edge of the spring assembly 10. A mounting torsion bar 46 extends horizontally from the terminal end of the spacer bar 44 and is in turn formed at its terminal end with a foot 48 which extends inwardly of the spring assembly 10 underneath the fishmouth section 38. A mounting prong 50 extends downwardly from the terminal end of the foot 48.

The upper end of the V-leg spacer bar 42 is formed integral with one end of a U-shape wire section 58 which connects the fishmouth section 38 to the body portion 32. The section 58 includes a lower torsion bar 60 connected to the V-leg spacer bar 42 and an upper torsion bar 62 which functions to attach the spring 16 to the border wire 20 and is therefore referred to hereinafter as the attaching torsion bar. A spacer bar 64, the length of which affects the height of the body portion 32 above the frame 12, extends between the torsion bars 60 and 62.

In the assembly of the box spring assembly 10, the springs 16 are mounted on frame cross rails 52 supported at their ends on frame side rails 54 which are secured to end rails 56 to form the frame 12. The spring body 3 portions 32 are positioned above the rails 52 so that the attaching torsion bars 62 are in substantially vertical alignment with the outer edges of the frame 12. The springs 16 are mounted on the rails 52, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, by pronging the spring ends into holes 68 formed in the rails 52, and the springs 14 are similarly pronged into holes in the rails 56, but it is to be understood that staples can also be used to mount the springs by first bending the prongs 50 90 and then laying them on the frame. The attaching torsion bars 62 at corresponding ends of the springs 16 are axially aligned and are attached to the border wires 20 by the clips 22. By virtue of the foot 48 on the lower end of each spring end portion 36, the prong 50 is spaced inwardly from the end 66 of the frame rail 52 on which the spring 16 is mounted. The hole 68 which is drilled in each rail 52 to accommodate a prong 50 is thus spaced from the rail end 66 a distance sulficient to eliminate any tendency of the rail 52 to split during use of the box spring assembly 10. The end springs 18, which are substantially identical to the main springs 16, are similarly mounted on the end rails 56. An end spring 18 differs from a main spring 16 in that its attaching torsion bar 62 at each end is formed with an inclined portion 70 which forms one corner of the spring assembly and is utilized to reinforce the bent end 72 of each border wire 20 which is secured by the spaced clips 24 to the attaching torsion bar 62 for the end spring 18 and the body portion 32 for the end spring 18 which forms the end border wire for the spring assembly 10.

The main springs 14 are arranged so that their body portions 32 lie against and extend at right angles to the body portions 32 for the main springs 16. The end portions 36 of the springs 14 are mounted on the end frame rails 56 in the same way that the springs 16 are mounted on the cross rails 52. Clips 76 are utilized to connect the attaching torsion bars 62 at the ends of the springs 14 to the body portions 32 of the end springs 18. As shown in FIG. 1, the body portions 32 of the end springs 18 constitute end border wires which are secured by the eight clips 24 to the side border wires 20 so as to form a rectangular border wire disposed above and in substantially vertical alignment with the outer edge of the rectangular frame 12.

The internal support springs 26, which are likewise made of formed wire, are identical so that only one such spring is described in detail herein. A support spring 26 includes a pair of end portions 80 and 82 which extend at substantially right angles relative to each other and are formed integral with a body portion 84 which extends diagonally between the end portions 80 and 82. The end portions 80 and 82 are practically identical except for their disposition at right angles relative to each other, and the fact that they are right and left hand versions of the same construction, so that only an end portion 80 (FIG. 4) is described in detail herein.

As shown in FIG. 4, a supporting spring end portion 80 is substantially identical to a main spring end portion 36 and includes a fishmouth section 85 formed by an apex torsion bar 86, and a pair of angularly related V-leg spacer bars 88 and 90. The end portion 80 also includes a mounting torsion bar 92, a positioning torsion bar 94, a height spacer bar 96 and an attaching torsion bar 98. The body portion 84 is formed at its ends with straight attaching sections 100 which are perpendicular to each other and extend at right angles to the adjacent attaching torsion bars 98. The mounting torsion bar 92 is connected directly to a downwardly extending prong 102 in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, since the necessity for the foot 48 to space the prong 50 from the ends of the cross rails 52 is not present in the installation of the support springs 26.

The support springs 26 are installed by inserting the prongs 102 in holes 104 formed in adjacent cross rails 52 for this purpose. When a support spring 26 is thus positioned, with its prongs 102 in openings 104 formed at predetermined positions in the cross rails 52, the attaching torsion bars 98 are parallel to and adjacent portions of a main spring 14 and a main spring 16 as shown in FIG. 1. A clip 28 is then utilized to connect one of the torsion bars 98 and the adjacent body portion 32 of a main spring 14. A clip 30 connects the other torsion bar 98 and the body portion 32 of an adjacent main spring 16. In this position of a spring 26, its attaching sections 100 are alongside the body portions 32 of another pair of main springs 14 and 16. A second pair of clips 28 and 30 are utilized to connect the attaching sections 100 of the spring 26 to this other pair of main springs 14 and 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the springs 14 and 16 are arranged crisscross fashion, a plurality of vertically extending rectangular wells 106 are formed arranged in rows extending both longitudinally and transversely of the frame 12. If the rows of wells adjacent the ends and edges of the frame12 are considered as border wells, it can be seen from FIG. 1 that no support springs 26 are required for the border wells 106 because of their proximity to the main spring end portions 38 which impart the desired stiffness. Inwardly of the border wells 106, alternate wells extending in directions either longitudinally, transversely, or diagonally, are provided with internal supporting springs 26. Each support spring 26 extends across a particular well 106 and is secured by the clips 28 and 30 to the main springs 14 and 16 which define and form the borders of that particular well 106. This arrangement of the main springs 14 and 16 and the support springs 26 provides the spring assembly 12 with the required resilient load support for the upper wire platform formed by the body portions 32 of the springs 14 and 16, and this is accomplished using a minimum mount of Wire in the assembly 10.

In the use of the assembly 10, a load distributing member (not shown) such as a wire grid or insulator can be positioned over the platform formed by the spring body portions 32 and 84 for the purpose of bridging the wells 106. When a load is applied to the wire platform, this load is transmitted by the height spacer bars 64 and 96 to the fishmouth sections 38 and 85. This results in deflection of the spacer bars 42, 44 and 88, 90, and twisting of the torsion bars in the spring end portions, with the apex torsion bars and 86 and the mounting torsion bars 46 and 92 absorbing the greater part of the deflection. This results in a decreasing of the angle A and the angle B formed between each lower V-leg spacer bar 44 and 90 and the frame rail 52. It can thus be seen that by virtue of the configuration of the spring end portions 36 and 80, that the stiffness of the spring assembly 10 is readily adjustable by varying slightly the configuration of the spring end portions 36 and when the spring 14, 16 and 26 are formed. For example, increased stiffness is obtainable by reducing either or both of the angles A and B when the spring assembly 10 is not under load. Also, the height of the spring assembly 10, namely, the distance between the wire platform formed by the spring body portions 32 and 84 and the frame 12 is readily adjustable to a desired height by forming the springs with height spacer bars 64 and 96 of a predetermined length. Furthermore by virtue of the configuration of the spring end portions 36 and 80 so that the height spacer bars 64 and 96 extend at a slightly less than right angle relative to the spring body portions 32 and so that the angles A and B are small, the spring assembly 10 is provided with a firm edge or border which will not set. In other words, the border wires are firmly supported and during use will not sag.

Another advantageous feature of the spring assembly 10, from the standpoint of cost and ease of manufacture, is the fact that the supporting springs 26 are located so that the prong openings 104 are symmetrical with response to the longitudinal axis of the spring assembly 10. As a result, during drilling of the holes 104 and assembly of the springs on the frame 12, there are no left and right hand problems which have to be considered. In addition, the fact that the spring assembly requires only four different springs, namely, the long main springs 14, the short main springs 16, the end springs 18, and the internal supporting springs 26, facilitates setup for manufacture of the assembly 10. These springs, and the end portion configurations thereof, also have general utility outside the illustrated spring assembly, and the manufacture of these springs is facilitated because of their generally symmetrical constructions.

It will be understood that the box spring assembly which is herein disclosed and described is presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and is not intended to indicate limits of the invention, the scope ,of which is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A box spring assembly comprising a rectangular frame, a plurality of spaced wire springs extending transversely of said frame at a position above said frame, a plurality of spacedwire springs extending longitudinally of said frame at a position above the frame, each of said wire springs having a body portion and end portions which are secured to said frame, each of said end portions having angularly related sections which are relatively movable to enable movement of said body portions toward and away from said frame, means secured to at least some of said springs forming a rectangular border wire spaced above said frame, and means resiliently supporting said body portions intermediate said end portions on said frame.

2. A box spring assembly comprising a rectangular frame, a plurality of spaced wire springs extending transversely of said frame at a position above said frame, a plurality of spaced wire springs extending longitudinally of said frame at a position above the frame, each of said wire springs having a body portion and end portions which are secured to said frame, said end portions being substantially identical and each of said end portions having angularly related sections which are relatively movable to enable movement of said body portions toward and away from said frame, and means connecting adjacent ones of said springs and resiliently supporting said body portions intermediate said end portions on said frame.

3. A box spring assembly comprising a rectangular frame, a plurality of spaced main wire springs extending transversely of said frame at a position above said frame, a plurality of spaced main wire springs extending longitudinally of said frame at a position above the frame, each of said wire springs having a body portion and end portions which are secured to said frame, each of said end portions having angularly related sections which are relatively movable to enable movement of said body portions toward and away from said frame, means secured to at least some of said springs forming a rectangular border wire spaced above said frame, and internal supporting springs connected to adjacent main springs and resiliently supporting said body portions intermediate said end portions on said frame.

4. A box spring assembly comprising a substantially horizontal rectangular frame, a plurality of spaced wire springs having substantially straight body portions extending transversely and longitudinally of said frame crisscross fashion at a position above said frame so as to form a plurality of vertically extending substantially rectangular wells, each of said wire springs having a pair of vertically deflectable end portions which extend downwardly from the ends of said body portions and are secured to said frame, means secured to at least some of said springs forming a rectangular border wire spaced above said frame, a plurality of internal support springs resiliently supporting said body portions intermediate said end portions on said frame, each-of said support springs including a body portion which extends substantially diagonally of a well spaced inwardly from said border wire, and means securing each support spring body portion to the main springs which define the well in which said support spring body portion is located.

5. A box spring assembly comprising a substantially horizontal rectangular frame, a plurality of spaced wire springs having substantially straight body portions extending transversely and longitudinally of said frame crisscross fashion at a position above said frame so as to form a plurality of verticalily extending substantially rectangular wells, each of said wire springs having a pair of vertically deflectable end portions which extend downwardly from the ends of said body portions and are secured to said frame, a plurality of internal support springs resiliently supporting said body portions intermediate said end portions on said frame, each of said support springs including a body portion which extends substantially diagonally of one of said wells, and means securing each support spring body portion to the main springs which define the well in which said support spring body portion is located.

6. In a wire spring, a body portion adapted to be disposed in a plane and having a pair of ends, a pair of end portions formed integral with said ends of said body portion and extending in directions substantially normal to said body portions, each of said end portions including an outwardly facing fishmouth section which includes a torsion bar disposed in a plane generally parallel to said one plane and a pair of spacer bars arranged in a substantially V-formation and extending from opposite ends of said torsion bar, one of said spacer bars being closer to said one plane than the other one of said spacer bars, a generally U-shape section in each end portion connecting said one spacer bar and the adjacent end of said body portion, a mounting torsion bar attached to the terminal end of said other one of said spacer bars, and means formed integral with said mounting torsion bar for attaching said spring to a frame.

7. In a wire spring, a body portion adapted to be disposed in a plane and having a pair of ends, a pair of end portions formed integral with said ends of said body portion and extending in directions substantially normal to said body portions, each of said end portions including a fishmouth section comprised of a torsion bar disposed in a plane generally parallel to said one plane and a pair of spacer bars arranged in a substantially V-formation and extending from opposite ends of said torsion bar, one of said spacer bars being closer to said one plane than the other one of said spacer bars, a generally U- shaped section in each end portion connecting said one spacer bar and the adjacent end of said body portion, a mounting torsion bar attached to the terminal end of said other one of said spacer bars, and spring attaching means formed integral with said mounting torsion bar, said spring end portions being relatively arranged such that the torsion bars in one of said end portions are sub stantially parallel to the torsion bars in the other end portion.

8. In a wire spring, a body portion adapted to be disposed in a plane and having a pair of ends, a pair of end portions formed integral with said ends of said body portion and extending in directions substantially normal to said body portions, each of said end portions including a fishmouth section comprised of a torsion bar disposed in a plane generally parallel to said one plane and a pair of spacer bars arranged in a substantially V-formation and extending from opposite ends of said torsion bar, one of said spacer bars being closer to said one plane than the other one of said spacer bars, a generally U-shaped section in each end portion connecting said one spacer bar and the adjacent end of said body portion, a mount ing torsion bar attached to the terminal end of said other? one of said spacer bars, and spring attaching means formed integral with said mounting torsion bar, said spring end portions being relatively arranged such that the torsion bars in one of said end portions are substantially perpendicular to the torsion bars in the other end portion and said body portion extends substantially diagonally between said end portions.

9. In a wire spring, a substantially straight body portion adapted to be disposed in a horizontal plane and having a pair of ends, a pair of end portions formed integral with said ends of said body portion and extending downwardly therefrom, each of said end portions including a fishmonth section comprised of a torsion bar disposed in a plane generally parallel to said plane and a pair of spacer bars arranged in a substantially V-formation and extending from opposite ends of said torsion bar, one of said spacer bars being closer to said one plane than the other one of said spacer bars, a generally U- shape section in each end portion connecting said one spacer bar and the adjacent end of said body portion, a mounting torsion bar attached to the terminal end of said other one of said spacer bars, prong means formed integral with said mounting torsion bar, and a foot projecting underneath and substantially parallel to said body portion and extending between said mounting torsion bar and said prong means.

10. In a wire spring, a body portion adapted to be disposed in a plane and having a pair of ends, a pair of end portions formed integral with said ends of said body portion and extending in a direction substantially normal to said body portion, each of said end portions including a torsion bar disposed in a plane generally parallel to said plane, a pair of spacer bar legs in each of said end portions extending from opposite ends of said torsion bar therein, said spacer bar legs in each end portion being arranged at an angle relative to each other for movement toward and away from each other in response to a load on said body portion tending to move said body portion to a plane generally parallel to said one plane, and means in each of said end portions connecting said spacer bars and said body portion ends, said means including a pair of torsion bars and a height spacer bar.

11. In a spring assembly, a plurality of substantially parallel transversely spaced first wire springs, each of said springs having a substantially straight horizontal body portion and downwardly extending end portions, said springs being arranged so that said body portions are in a horizontally spaced relation, each of said end portions including a fishmonth section disposed below said body portion and an upwardly extending spacer bar extending upwardly from said section, attaching torsion bars extending between the ends of said body portions and said spacer bars and arranged so that the attaching torsion bars at corresponding ends of said springs are substantially horizontally aligned, substantially parallel border wires attached to aligned torsion bars, a plurality of transversely spaced second wire springs having horizontal body portions disposed adjacent and extending perpendicularly to the body portions in said first wire springs, said second wire springs having end portions formed similarly to the end portions on said first wire springs, and a supporting frame arranged in a supporting relation with the fishmonth sections on said wire springs.

12. The combination according to claim 11 further including a mounting torsion bar on the lower end of each of said fishmonth sections, a foot on each of said torsion bars extending inwardly under said fishmonth section, and means for attaching said foot to said frame;

13. The combination according to claim 11 further including internal support springs, each of said internal support springs being connected to and extending between a pair of adjacent ones of said first springs and also ex tending between and being secured to a pair of adjacent ones of said second springs, each of said internal support springs including a yieldable end portion extending downwardly and attached to said frame.

14. The combination according to claim 11 in which the body portions of said first and second springs are provided with integral kick-up end sections which extend upwardly and outwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,016,872 10/1935 Olson 5-247 3,085,259 4/1963 Sandor 5-247 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

R. D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BOX SPRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR FRAME, A PLURALITY OF SPACED WIRE SPRING EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FRAME AT A POSITION ABOVE SAID FRAME, A PLURALITY OF SPACED WIRE SPRINGS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID FRAME AT A POSITION ABOVE THE FRAME, EACH OF SAID WIRE SPRINGS HAVING A BODY PORTION AND END PORTIONS WHICH ARE SECURED TO SAID FRAME, EACH OF SAID END PORTIONS HAVING ANGULARLY RELATED SECTIONS WHICH ARE RELATIVELY MOVABLE TO ENABLE MOVEMENT OF SAID BODY PORTIONS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID FRAME, MEANS SECURED TO AT LEAST SOME OF SAID SPRINGS FORMING A RECTANGULAR BORDER WIRE SPACED ABOVE SAID FRAME, AND MEANS RESILIENTLY SUPPORTING SAID BODY PORTIONS INTERMEDIATE SAID END PORTIONS ON SAID FRAME. 